the cool desert air
feels crisp
as an evening breeze
kisses my skin
and invigorates
these tired bones.
huddled by a slowly
fading fire
with embers
barely able to warm
aching hands,
thoughts run together
one after next
like a pack
of wild dogs chasing
some familiar scent.
a distant coyote
howls
beneath a moonless sky
packed with stars,
their cold and fickle
gaze too feeble
to light
the path ahead.
shrouded in night
so far from home,
i remember the words
she said.
